U-God
U-God (born Lamont Hawkins in Brownsville, Brooklyn) is one of the rappers in the Wu-Tang Clan. His rap name is derived from the Five Percent Nation slang term for gun, "God-U". Though not as well known as RZA, GZA, Method Man or Ol' Dirty Bastard, U-God has been with the group since not long after its inception. Being jailed for narcotics and firearms possession prevented him from featuring heavily on the group's debut album Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, his input on the seminal LP consisting of only a short bridge on the group's debut single Protect Ya Neck as well as the now-famous opening verse of Da Mystery Of Chessboxin. Nevertheless, after his release he quickly became known to fans for his rugged flow on Wu tracks such as Winter Warz, Knuckleheadz and Black Jesus and featured heavily on the group's second album Wu-Tang Forever (on which he was one of only three of the group to get a solo track) . Around this time his young son was accidentally shot and injured, an ordeal the rapper documented on the Wu-Tang Clan track A Better Tomorrow. U-God was the eighth (out of nine) member of the group to record a solo album, releasing Golden Arms Redemption in 1999, which displayed a wide variety of sounds from gritty blaxploitation funk to urgent string sections, and featured guest appearances from several Wu-Tang members and affiliates. He also made guest appearances on Tommy Lee's Methods Of Mayhem project, and on Cypress Hill's Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom album. After a high-profile disagreement with Wu leader RZA in 2004 over royalties, which included a heated phone conversation on live radio, U-God released a new album under the alias UGODZ-ILLA entitled Ugodz-illa presents the Hillside Scramblers, which featured U-God and his team of Inf Black, Leatha Face, Black Ice and King Just. However U-God and RZA appeared to put aside their differences soon after, and they were soon both together on stage as part of the Clan for their European and American tour during summer 2004.
Aliases4-Bar KillerBaby UUniversal God of LawFour-Bar KillerGolden ArmsLucky HandsUGodz-Illa
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